Dating The Host Club
by dimpld
Summary: When an auctioned-off date with Tamaki goes well, the Host Club decides to make it a regular feature (for a premium, of course. The Shadow King wouldn't DREAM of having it any other way). Unfortunately for Haruhi, she's to be the "customer" the guys are going to practice their dating skills on.
1. Chapter 1

Haruhi Fujioka scrambled up the stairs leading to the unused Music Room 3 as if her life depended on it. Lately, for some reason or the other, she had always been late for the meetings of the Host Club of her school, Ouran Academy. She knew the other hosts took this job very seriously. So, when the Vice President of the club, Kyoya Ootori, threatened to kick her out of the club if she was late one more time, she knew it was best not to cross him. Otherwise, where would she find the money to pay back the 8-million-yen debt she owed them?

Panting, clutching a stitch in her side, she threw open the door to Music Room 3 and found herself facing a group of teenage boys already huddled in deep discussion.

"I'm so sorry I'm late! Please don't do anything drastic!" she cried out desperately.

The group broke apart and when the boys saw who it was, their curious faces relaxed into welcoming smiles.

"Don't worry, Haruhi," said Kyoya reassuringly. "You're a minute early and we were actually just discussing something else."

"What were you discussing so seriously?" she asked.

"We were discussing whether to go with the classic black and white color combination when we dress up as chess pieces for our next gathering with the ladies, or to go with a flamboyant and different color combination!" screeched Tamaki Suoh, the over-enthusiastic, yet gorgeous, President of the club.

'Dear Lord,' Haruhi thought, while she ignored Tamaki rambling about the various color combinations that, in his opinion, looked better. 'Why does he always seem to be sugar high?'

"So, what do you think, Haruhi?" he asked, purplish-blue eyes sparkling.

"A) why are we dressing up as chess pieces? That sounds so weird! We're literally animating game pieces now? That's what our themes have come to? And B) even if we are going for the chess piece costumes, it should be in black and white. How else are we going to get across the idea of us being chess pieces?" the petite brunette retorted.

Tamaki seemed offended. "If you're so smart, come up with a better theme, then! And how dare you suggest our dear patrons wouldn't recognize a chess piece costume! It's one of the more iconic looks. They'd be dense not to recognize it!" he retorted back.

Haruhi thought about the squealing girls they, at the Host Club, dealt with every week and doubted whether they even knew of chess to begin with. Even if they knew of chess, they probably had their servants play the game for them. But instead, she replied, "You say chess piece costumes are iconic? I'll test that theory during the next Hallowe'en party. Let me see how many people come dressed as scary chess pieces!"

"Alright," Kyoya said loudly. "Enough with this discussion. It isn't really important anyway." He ignored the puppy dog eye look that Tamaki was building up next to him and continued, "Today, I have a special announcement to make."

Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and looked up at him in surprise. He pushed his glasses up his nose, smirked and said, "When we conducted the auction for a date with Tamaki, like some of the girls requested, we actually brought in a lot of money for the club. Of course, a lot of the money will go into operating expenses, such as paying for food and costumes. But, I have done the calculations and there seems to be a bit of profit left even after that. Lady and gentlemen, I would like to congratulate Tamaki Suoh, our dear President, for helping in bringing in this much-needed profit for our club."

While everyone clapped and cheered Tamaki on, Haruhi thought irately, "Much-needed? They're talking as if they couldn't ever be the guys who flew in a horse carriage from France, just for a school festival."

"However," Kyoya was saying, "I was thinking about this and I realized that this is a good business opportunity for our club to cash in on. Instead of putting up dates with our hosts for an auction, we'll simply charge a premium if a girl wishes to go on a date with any of our hosts. As you already know, one of our rules is to never seriously romantically engage with a patron. With this 'date' offer, they can experience their fantasy of being in a relationship with a host. When we have gatherings here, our hosts are always flitting from patron to patron and there is no customisation involved. A date, however, will make things more exclusive. The host will arrange the date, of course, but the budget will be set by the patron when they pay the premium."

He was met with awed looks from everyone in the club and he smiled smugly to himself for having come up with a customer-centric plan. This was sure to make the club a bigger hit than it ever was before, and he was sure to make more money from this. His eyes were just turning into dollar signs when Mitsukuni "Honey" Haninozuka's voice cut his reverie off.

"But are we ready to take our patrons on such dates?" he enquired, eyes big.

"Excellent observation, Honey!" Tamaki exclaimed, as if he had been doing the explanation all along.

"That's when Haruhi comes in," Kyoya replied nonchalantly.

"Wh-what?" Haruhi stuttered, confused. "What do I have to do?"

"Haruhi, you understood Honey's question, right?"

"Um, not really." Haruhi blinked a couple of times, feeling stupid.

"It's quite simple. Like I said, we're all so used to entertaining so many patrons at once. It's quite different on a date when we'll have to spend an hour or so with them, and our undivided attention must be on them. Dates require tact and better acting than we usually employ. It will require some skill training. And since we are moving into a more tailored experience, we will need constructive criticism from someone very similar to all our patrons. Since most of our patrons are female, you will be the guinea pig."

"Guinea…pig?" She was still blank.

"Yes, it's a hamster-like creature that is usually-" Kyoya started explaining.

"I know what a guinea pig is! I meant, why am I the guinea pig?" she burst out.

"You will pretend to be a patron and go on dates with each of us in turn. You will note down what we do correctly and what we do wrong. And I want you to note every single detail, major or minor. Down to whether the host offers to shake some salt and pepper on to your meal! We want everything to be perfect because we aim to be the image of perfect gentlemen. At such close quarters as a date, it is easier to spot our flaws. As a result, our image could falter and we'd become unpopular. These patrons are brought up in the finest manner and they expect that from us as well. Do I make myself clear?" Kyoya looked at Haruhi dangerously from behind his glasses.

Haruhi, Hikaru, Kaoru and Tamaki only registered one sentence.

"We get to go on a date with her?!" the twins and Tamaki yelled gleefully.

"I have to go on a date with all of you?!" Haruhi wailed.

"Oh wow, can we get cake on our date, Haruhi? Our date could be at a patisserie!" Honey burbled while his cousin, Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka, stood slouched, with his hands in his pockets, next to him and regarded the brunette with a sideways glance.

"Yes, Haruhi," Kyoya explained exasperatedly. "You will have to go on a date with all of us and provide us with exhaustive feedback. I need details. And try not to get bribed with 'fancy tuna'."

"Oh, Haruhi, you wouldn't find a fault with moi," Tamaki declared, bedroom eyes ready to make any female swoon (except Haruhi). "You know I'm too perfect and I'm the man for a date. Otherwise, why would those girls request an auction to fight for a date with me? I'm just too irresistible."

"Nah, Haruhi is going to have a better date with one of us," the twins remarked. "We're her age, we're more fun and we have plenty of tricks up our sleeves to make her laugh. And you know what the secret ingredient to a perfect date is!"

The twins and Tamaki spoke out at the same time.

"Laughter!"

"Hair gel!"

Everyone turned to look at Tamaki with blank expressions.

"I-I meant laughter. I just…forgot the word," he mumbled.

Haruhi sighed. A dense and dramatic Tamaki, a mischevious pair of twins, an awkwardly silent Mori, an overly-sweet Honey and a demonic Kyoya. She had to spend six evenings with six of the strangest people she knew. If she didn't count in the Zuka Club girls, that is.

"So how do we decide who gets to go on a date with her first?" asked Tamaki, eager to make everyone forget about his absurd answer.

"We will pick lots," Kyoya said gleefully. Haruhi could see why. He was already holding out a bag which probably contained the lots. To an outsider, the whole scene probably looked like it was scripted, while it was actually Kyoya being prepared beforehand. Even for matters like these, Kyoya liked to show how efficient he was.

Tamaki and the twins made a mad rush towards the bag, while Honey and Mori hung back to avoid the stampede. The two of them and Kyoya pulled out lots at their own pace while the other three stood without opening their pieces of paper with expressions of pure terror on their faces.

When everyone opened their pieces of paper together, there was a moment of silence as they regarded their numbers. While Tamaki and the twins started wailing, Haruhi let out a sigh of relief and Kyoya looked at Mori and Honey expectantly.

"I'm first," Mori intoned. Haruhi blushed slightly. She still wasn't so used to Mori's nature and considering that she had only once ever spent time with him alone – at Kyoya's weird, fake jungle, no less – it was going to be awkward spending an entire evening with him alone in a pseudo-romantic setting.

"I'm second," Kyoya said matter-of-factly, while scribbling in his notebook.

"I'm only THIRD," wailed Tamaki.

"What are you crying about? I'm FOURTH!" Hikari yelled while Kaoru sobbed about being fifth. Only Honey seemed OK with being sixth, and he seemed to be more interested in discussing with Usa-chan, the cakes he planned on ordering.

"Alright then," Kyoya said, snapping his notebook shut. "Our clients will be arriving any moment now, so quieten down. Remember, we're not telling them about this plan any time soon. This will be a surprise AFTER we are done with the practice dates. And Mori, do go over with Haruhi after Club hours about your plans for the date."

He glanced at Haruhi and added (scarily) kindly, "Since the dates are for our own benefit, I think we should be the ones paying for the dates this time and not Haruhi. Please bear in mind, gentlemen, that we're not to spend on the actual customers. We're here to make money, not lose it." He turned to the doors of the room as some light started streaming in. "Ah, they're here."

Everyone chorused, "Welcome to the Host Club."


	2. Chapter 2

"Who's the one taking you today, again?" Ranka asked gleefully while he put some finishing touches on his daughter's makeup.

"Dad, we've been over this a million times before," Haruhi said, a little annoyed. She knew her father was only pretending so that he could hopefully get his daughter to feel pumped up about the date.

Actually, Ranka just wanted to hear Mori's name and visualize the silent, tall, dark and handsome young man. So fitting for his silent, cute and short daughter…

"It's Takashi Morinozuka senpai," Haruhi said, careful not to move her lips too much because her father was applying lip gloss for her.

"Oh yes yes, I remember now," Ranka fibbed. "The national kendo champion." 'Sugoi! Haruhi will be protected wherever she goes!' He imagined Mori fighting off people with weapons who were trying to attack Haruhi and squealed with joy inside. Suddenly, the doorbell rang and Ranka nearly knocked over Haruhi in his excitement to open the door.

"Mori! Right on time as well. Haruhi is just getting ready," he said, the inner-him fawning over the boy's build. He turned towards the inside of the house and called out, "Haruhi, dear! Mori is waiting for you!"

Haruhi stepped into the passageway wearing a very pretty light green dress with a cardigan. Mori caught himself staring at Haruhi and quickly said, "You look lovely, Haruhi."

"Thank you, Mori-senpai," she replied, beaming, trying to ignore her father clicking pictures of the two of them from every angle. "Shall we go?" He nodded.

The two of them then traipsed down the staircase and got into Mori's limousine. Mori had decided that since Haruhi liked sushi, they would go to his favorite sushi bar. Mori genuinely hoped that the date would go well. He was actually quite nervous because this was his first time alone with a girl.

"This date idea is kinda crazy. Don't you think so, Mori-senpai?" Haruhi asked lightly.

"Hmm?" he asked, eyebrows raised questioningly.

"I mean, Kyoya-senpai should've considered that each of us is different. It doesn't matter how the date goes for each of us with our customers. Considering they'll be requesting for a particular host, it goes without saying that they'll be starstruck by the end of the evening, just because of the time they got to spend with their favorite host. It really won't matter to them whether something went right or wrong," she explained.

"Ah," he agreed, turning to look out the window to see where they were. "But Kyoya does look for perfection in everything he does. Oh, we're here."

The chauffeur opened the door for Haruhi and when she looked up, she saw an extremely chic and sleek looking place. She could easily imagine Mori coming here for business meetings with clients in the future. Or even in the present, she could imagine him, dressed as he was for the date in dark jeans and a shirt and sweater, spending a Friday night here, lost in deep thought. Probably about which brand of chicken feed was good for Piyo.

The two entered the bar and Haruhi was impressed with the soft jazz music playing and all the young and stylish customers. Mori led the way to his favorite seat and once they were settled, they started chatting lightly. Haruhi noted that although Mori was still quiet, he was a little more talkative. She supposed it was because there was just one person he had to attend to. She had always felt that Mori was just shy. When they started talking about Piyo and Mr. Tanuki, he got more excited about the conversation – as much as he would've about kendo. That made Haruhi smile to herself about the gentle nature of the senior host, which was a huge contrast to the way he looked. Suddenly, she remembered something her classmate and Mori's kendo club-mate had told her.

"Hey Mori, I heard that there's going to be a kendo competition conducted very soon?" she queried.

"Ah," he replied.

"Is it possible to come and watch you?" she asked excitedly. From what little fighting she had seen of Honey and Mori, she was pretty impressed and wanted to see more.

"Ah," he said, smiling down at her. "You can come with me, so that you can get to sit with my family in the front row. You'll have a better view from there, and Mitsukuni can explain things to you."

"Really? Are you sure I won't be imposing on your family?" Haruhi was doubtful, since she imagined all of the Morinozukas being reserved. Looking back, she realized her reaction to his offer was a bit dense.

"No," he smiled, secretly finding her question funny.

"Thanks a lot, Mori-senpai! I've never been to a kendo competition before, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it!"

"Takashi…"

"Huh?" Haruhi's eyes were large as she tried to understand why the boy spoke his own name.

"I think we're acquainted enough after so many club sessions that you can call me by my name," Mori replied. Haruhi blushed faintly but smiled and ducked her head.

Soon after that, their meal was over and Mori walked her over to his limo, opening the door for her. When they were settled and the limo had started moving, Mori spoke up.

"Haruhi, I want to thank you."

"Huh? What for?"

"I joined the Host Club to be with Mitsukuni, as is my duty. I don't think that otherwise, I would've played a role-"

"I don't think that's true, Takashi," she interjected, taking him by surprise. "You're actually pretty cool. A good looking, strong and silent man is admired by many girls. I've seen many such girls at the club. I don't know why you think that without Honey-senpai, you wouldn't have ended up at the Host Club."

Mori blinked. Evidently, she thought he was having thoughts about why he had joined the club in the first place. He relaxed into a smile, rather amusedly, and said, "Thank you for that, Haruhi. Actually I wished to say something else. True, it was difficult for me to feel like I belonged in the club due to my personality. But then you came along and I didn't feel alone so much anymore. There's something in the silence that we share that makes me feel connected to you. It's very reassuring, especially when things get crazy at the club."

He took a big breath. "I guess, what I want to say is, I want to share more of this feeling with you, Haruhi." He looked at her expectantly. Almost immediately, he realized who he was talking to and watched as his hours of preparation of this speech in front of a mirror go to waste in her big blank eyes.

"I think I might be falling in love with you," he said gently, hoping that if he spoke in his low voice, she wouldn't hear and he wouldn't have to hear a rejection.

Haruhi was lost for words. She couldn't deny it that she did admire the senior host and consider him good-looking. You could even say that she was attracted to his nature. They actually had a lot in common. Suddenly, she remembered him holding her close in Kyoya's fake jungle and she remembered his warmth and strong hands and she blushed. She liked being close to him as well…

Suddenly, there were voices in her head.

'What am I thinking? He's a senior boy!'

'So what? A relationship doesn't have anything to do with age! Plus, he's just a couple of years older than you are. How is that such a big complication?'

'But he's…he's Mori-senpai! He's the sweet, gentle and silent Mori-senpai. It's not right!'

'What's not right?'

'Honey-senpai…!'

'What? Why is Honey-senpai suddenly here? Are you worried about their relationship? You do know he considers him like a younger brother, and not a love interest, right? They're cousins, after all.'

'Yeah? Well what about the Hitachiin twins? That's even worse and that happens.'

'That's an act! Anyway, you digress.'

"Um, Haruhi?" Mori asked tentatively.

Haruhi blinked and looked up to see Mori looking at her, a concerned look in his eyes.

"Are you alright? Is it something that you ate?" Mori knew only too well of her notorious appetite.

"Huh? No, no," Haruhi said, laughingly, secretly cringing. 'Very romantic, Haruhi. You zone out and the first thing that he thought was that you probably have a digestive problem,' she thought scathingly. Suddenly she realized something. Why was she so worried what he thought? She had literally thrown up in Kyoya's bathroom after she had eaten too much crab and she wasn't the least bit embarrassed when she thought about the incident. But why was she so worried about what Mori thought about her?

Unless…somewhere inside, she liked him back too…

"Takashi," she ventured shyly. "Thank you for the date and…thank you for letting me know of your feelings." She realized how smug this sounded - it was like she had won a bet with Renge to get material from Mori for her next doujinshi. So she hurried on. "As for me, I'm pretty confused right now. I like you, Takashi. But this just came up very unexpectedly. So, is it alright if I give you an answer in a few days' time? Although I do have feelings for you, I want to see for myself what they mean. I don't want to drag us into a meaningless relationship based on a whim, or on misinterpreted feelings. You know how I can be oblivious to my own feelings. I don't want us to regret this later on."

Mori nodded understandingly. Haruhi felt helpless, as she yearned to hear something from him that would reassure her that he wasn't feeling any animosity towards her answer. But she knew he wasn't the kind to speak too much and anyway, he had spoken a lot just a few minutes ago. He was probably shocked at his own loquaciousness too. So she didn't ask him to say something. Instead, she spoke up again.

"Takashi? If the worst were to happen, you'd have a very obtuse, but loyal girlfriend by your side," she said, winking at him. It seemed to alleviate the tension in the car and Mori smiled at her.

After he dropped her off, and while he was being driven back to his house, he remembered Haruhi's wink, the way she said his name, the way she was so gentle and understanding. He remembered her large brown eyes and hoped that she'd give him the chance to gaze into them every day, while he held her close to him.


	3. Chapter 3

Next day at the Host Club, Haruhi found it difficult to concentrate on her clients. She kept stealing glances at Mori every now and then, hoping he wouldn't catch her in the act. Honey, however, happened to notice it and gave her a sly grin when she saw that he had caught her. She blushed and tried to signal with her eyes to not let Mori know. She wasn't so sure the "innocent" boy-lolita would actually listen to her, though. She knew that he was devious in his own ways.

"Haruhi? Not having trouble concentrating, are we?" a cold voice sounded right behind her.

Haruhi knew that voice only too well. Turning around sheepishly, she faced the glint of Kyoya's glasses and said weakly, "Um, no, not at all. Just wondering what homework was due tomorrow."

"Oh really? And staring at Mori helps with that?" Kyoya asked, as the girls around Haruhi squealed excitedly at the prospect of Haruhi being even slightly interested in Mori. That's when it struck her that Kyoya had only made the comment to get a new ball rolling. She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back on her customers while Kyoya said, "Don't forget to meet me after club hours, Haruhi!" That launched the girls into another fantasy land where Haruhi and Kyoya were together.

"Kyoya-senpai, that was really unnecessary," Haruhi complained when she met up with Kyoya later to discuss details of the date they were going to have. "This will affect Mori-senpai too, you know."

"Haruhi, everyone knows that for instance, the romance between the Hitachiin twins isn't real. Therefore, they'll know that this matter between you and Mori-senpai won't be real either," Kyoya replied, pushing up his glasses. "I'm just doing my job. If you want to repay your debt, you should be glad that I'm doing you this favor of getting you more customers this way."

Haruhi said nothing and looked away.

"Anyway, we need to discuss where we're going today. Another one of my father's hospitals is being inaugurated today and it's an event where a lot of bigwigs will be present. That means, I'll need you in formal attire," he said, checking his notes. "I will come to your house at 6PM and we will leave immediately, because the function starts at 7."

"Yes, of course," she replied through clenched teeth. "What other talents do I need to perfect before 6PM?"

"Brush up on your English and formal Japanese. Learn to curtsey and of course, I expect fine manners. I don't want you talking or acting like a commoner. There will be a lot of VIPs, members of some royal families and corporate executives who will be impressed with the way you present yourself," Kyoya replied, not understanding (or maybe ignoring) the sarcasm. "Oh, by the way, I will also be expecting you to remember the details about some of our prominent guests. It's important that we recognize them and ask about them, their businesses and to a small extent, about their personal lives. I'll be emailing you a list of the guests you need to worry about, so find out about them. I already have done my research, so I will be testing you on your knowledge while we're in the car."

Haruhi was stunned. Was this a date or a school field trip? She wondered briefly if Tamaki was ready to take her spot by putting on a brown wig, as he had done for the physical exam for her.

"Are you serious?" she was about to ask, but she realized who she was talking to. Obviously he was serious! He was crazy like that! Feeling helpless, she nodded mutely and slowly shuffled out of the music room to go home.

Haruhi had been so busy studying that she didn't have time to worry about her looks and let her father obsess over that part for himself.

"Ugh!" she cried out in exasperation, sick of the countless names that she had to remember for the event. It seemed as if Kyoya had sent everyone's names and not just those of select and important guests. "Is he doing this on purpose just to drive me crazy?!"

"Of course he's doing this on purpose," Ranka replied seriously, waving a blush brush. "But not for the reasons you think. Haruhi. He _is_ a part of the Ootori group. Do you understand how big and important this event is and what sort of luminaries will be there? And anyway, the next time he has such an event, he will be inviting a girl of his status as his date. I won't be surprised if he actually planned the practice dates just so that he could get an idea of how to bring a date to these events and socialize accordingly. To us commoners, this all seems vain and shallow. To them, it's a matter of building relationships to get support of every form for their next business. Since Kyoya is taking you for such an affluent event, I think the least you can do is support him."

Haruhi felt a little ashamed of her outburst after hearing this. In a subdued manner, she allowed her father to finish off her makeup. Ranka was happy he had finally convinced his daughter of something and started daydreaming, this time about his temperamental daughter being a perfect match for the cool-headed Kyoya.

When Kyoya arrived, he immediately made an inspection of what Haruhi was wearing. She was wearing her best dress, a black off-shoulder one, perfect for a dinner party, and she matched well with Kyoya, who was wearing a black suit. She was admiring how sharp he looked when he commented, "Carry a purse. It looks very smart that way." The way she was looking at him immediately turned sour and her father noticed it immediately and there was a purse shoved into her hand. Then he pushed them both outside, to prevent a fight.

Kyoya looked surprised, but he tried to steady himself by starting to quiz Haruhi on the way to the hospital on whatever she had learnt about the guests. He ensured that she was quizzed in both English and Japanese and when he was pleased with her knowledge, he spoke up.

"I know this wasn't your idea of a date, Haruhi, but I had no other choice. I was asked to bring a date for this event, and I knew that I couldn't ask any of our usual clients. We're not allowed to date our clients, or take them out like this, remember? That would create discord between the other girls. And even if we could, I'm not comfortable with handling a girl all by myself. Since we work together, I felt that it would be easier to take you as a date." He looked at her and smiled properly, for the first time. "And anyway, I know you're a pretty smart person, Haruhi. Those guests would be very impressed with you and if they know you're an honor student at Ouran."

Haruhi was stunned. She hadn't been expecting Kyoya to compliment her like that. She realized that this was what made Kyoya a good host - he seemed cold and calculating, but when he made a compliment like that, it felt genuine. This was in comparison to Tamaki's list of mass-produced flirtatious comments that felt fake after a point of time.

"Thank you, Kyoya-senpai," she replied warmly. "You can count on me this evening."

Haruhi had never been to an inauguration ceremony of anything before, apart from maybe school functions. Most inauguration ceremonies invited only top people, like the function she was attending presently. At other times, when it was open to the public, she felt it was a waste of time, so she didn't bother to attend them. She quickly found out that the event was just about a few important stakeholders giving speeches, and everyone else enjoying cocktails and just socializing. She put her best foot forward every time Kyoya introduced her to someone, and tried to ask questions that they found intelligent. Then she noticed that there was a pattern to Kyoya's introductions - the guests they interacted with were mostly lawyers.

When they had a moment alone, while they were drinking mocktails, she confronted him about it. Kyoya simply smiled his new smile and sipped his drink calmly. Then he turned to face the female host.

"Haruhi, as per my request, you prepared yourself for this event, although either of us would hardly call this a date. The least I can do, as a mark of gratitude towards you, is to introduce you to people you would find interesting, and people who can help you when you start your career. Working with any of these lawyers for a couple of years will guarantee you with a top position at a law firm, or as the corporate lawyer for a large business group. For instance, if you do well, I'm sure the Ootori group would hire you in the blink of an eye. I know I would, if I were to head the group."

He flashed his curiously sweet smile and said, "That's the least I can do for the girl I like."

Haruhi once again found herself floored. There was something really electrifying about this guy, if he could render her speechless like this. Or maybe it was his way of putting things bluntly. Is this how she sounded to Tamaki?

"Uh Kyoya-senpai?" she asked. After Mori's confession, her understanding of these things were a little more sensitive. "You...like me?"

"Yes, I believe that is what I said," he replied. "I always found you to be very interesting, Haruhi. Smart, honest, practical and pretty. I value all these traits in a girl. When you joined Host Club, it wasn't a happy occasion, after you broke that vase." ("You didn't have to remind me of that again!") "But the more time I spent with you, the more I grew fond of you. Simply put, you're my dream girl. I must confess, I even planned these practice dates to get an excuse to be with you, without raising suspicion in anyone's minds. But even now, I'm not sure whether I was actually ready to confess my feelings for you."

That's when it hit Haruhi - the usually calm and collected Shadow King was nervous. 'Was that smile from earlier his way to cover up his nervousness?' she wondered. She looked up at him and he quickly looked into his glass of Virgin Mary. She wondered further, how things had suddenly gotten complicated. Kyoya was suddenly seeming to be a sweet person, because of his willingness to help her. But was that really the factor that would determine whether she liked him? It made her look like a gold-digger. But he did value her ambition and intelligence. That part made her blush because something like that coming from Kyoya Ootori was certainly unexpected and was a huge compliment for her. But was she going to really fall for his compliments? That again wasn't what should determine whether she liked him or not. His personality should determine it. But then she remembered how, throughout the event, he had been much more pleasant to be around with. He even joked about some of the more stuck-up VIPs who had come for the event. He knew how to relax and have a good time - he just locked this part away when he was at the Club to maintain some order. Kyoya was certainly a deeper character than she had thought.

 **A/N: I'm so sorry I was late with this chapter. Lately, I've been going through some personal stuff and didn't want to deal with writing romance. So if the romance in this one was limp, I'm really sorry for that. I'm hoping to recover from this funk very soon. Do people even say, "funk" any more?**


	4. Chapter 4

"HARUHIIII!" Tamaki screeched as he threw himself on the petite girl, as she came in to the music room. She quickly disengaged herself from his clutches and looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"What is it now, senpai?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

Tamaki teared up immediately and ran crying to Kyoya. "Mommy! Haruhi is being mean to Daddy!" he wailed, although she hadn't technically done anything "mean".

Kyoya said nothing and pushed his glasses up his nose and continued writing notes in his book. He was still a little miffed with Haruhi for having told him to wait for a response. He thought he had been nice to her the previous evening. He had actually shown a vulnerable side of himself when he confessed to her and he had thought Haruhi would like him back, due to their similar personalities. He looked at her over his glasses when he thought she wasn't looking and quickly went back to his working, letting out a tiny sigh.

'She'll come around. I'm a nice guy,' he thought defensively. It was so strange even for himself to feel so hurt, so affected, by this girl. He had prided himself on being neutral to almost everything. He was even better at that than Mori himself. Suddenly, something clicked in his brain.

The glances...the request to wait for an answer...could it be? 'No, he wouldn't,' Kyoya told himself firmly. But he knew his logic couldn't fail. The glances she had shot Mori now told him everything! He would hunt for evidence. He looked back at Tamaki who was explaining his grand date idea to a thoroughly bored Haruhi. He couldn't help but shoot a vicious look in Haruhi's direction.

"So what do you say?!" he asked excitedly.

"Senpai, it's a pretty exciting date idea for you, I know. But to me, it's just another day out," she replied, upsetting the "King" of the host club once again. Kyoya's glance hadn't escaped her attention and she knew he was probably still very annoyed with her refusal to give him an answer. She hadn't wanted to give him an answer because just like with Mori, she didn't know what she felt about Kyoya either. She was hoping to drag out the conversation about Tamaki's date idea enough to bore Kyoya so that he would zone out.

"What's just another day?" a pair of voices asked and everyone knew it was the twins who had entered the room.

"Tamaki's idea of going to the fair that's being organized near my place for a date," Haruhi explained, as if they had always been listening in on the conversation. "He wants to try every type of commoners' food - as if he hasn't done that already."

"Oooh! Tamaki and Tanuki, sitting in a ramen shop, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" the twins chorused gleefully. Tamaki perked up, imagining the scenario - his beautiful daughter, her nickname rhyming with his own name, sharing ramen with him. Suddenly, looking at her, over a bowl of ramen, he was overcome with emotion for the girl with the big brown eyes who was looking up at him. Such beauty that moved him to lean closer and -

"ACK! She's my daughter!" an inner voice yelled, wrenching him from the proximity of Haruhi's face.

"Um, senpai? What happened?" Haruhi asked, as she brought some more ramen up to her lips with her chopsticks.

"Nothing, nothing," Tamaki replied a bit too quickly, sweating profusely. He nearly ki - no! He couldn't even think of the word! He was harming the purity of his own daughter! How perverted was he?! "Hey, eat up quick. I see a crowded dango store and I want to try their dango. If it's so crowded, they probably have good stuff."

Tamaki had persuaded Haruhi to actually take him to the fair, after all. She had decided that if in case he asked her to treat him, she could easily do it at the fair. She decided that she'd probably let him run off with some of her money to play some games so that he wouldn't bother her much. She felt that this was going to be a babysitting job than a date.

Tamaki on the other hand, was practically in heaven. Commoners' food, a cute little fair, his favorite child...things couldn't get better! He had even traded in his designer threads for simple, mass-manufactured clothing to feel like a commoner. Unfortunately, Haruhi's father wasn't impressed (Ranka didn't even want to imagine his daughter with Tamaki this time. When Haruhi had mentioned it was Tamaki's turn that day, he had quietly stopped picking out her clothes and had faked a cold and had asked Haruhi to take care of herself).

The fair was so exhilarating, so magical, so special. Special? Yes of course, it was special, he reasoned. He was being led around the fair by an authentic commoner. For once. Usually, she never deigned to explain anything about the ways of the commoners. Today, she was being surprisingly patient with him. But she also seemed to be lost in thought.

"Hey, Haruhi?" he asked kindly. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" she asked, tearing her eyes away from a toy that was making an annoying clapping sound for no reason. "Um, of course I'm alright. Why would you ask that?"

"You're kind of spaced out."

"Am I? You must be dreaming, Senpai. I'm so...here," her voice faltered.

Tamaki sensed immediately that she wasn't in the mood to enjoy the fair and he was disheartened. He had always wondered why Haruhi never seemed to appreciate his liking for commoners' things and events. Did he seem condescending? Did she feel that he was pretending to like these things to make her feel good about being poor? He had always tried so hard to never seem condescending. He genuinely enjoyed these little things in life. He had learnt to cherish them because they weren't things you could buy with money. Like the smile on his mother's face. And that's why he liked commoners' things. They didn't need money, necessarily.

Thinking about his mother's smile made him remember that she wouldn't approve of her son letting anything get him down. She wanted to smile and his job was to make her smile by being happy himself. He glanced at Haruhi, who was again, lost in thought, and he knew it was a long shot, considering the world of difference between her and his mother, but he still thought that maybe the same logic applied to her. He thought of the various times that others being lively and bright had made him forget about his pathetic mood. He could try the same technique with her. Maybe she'd get distracted from her thoughts and she'd cheer up, or at least, talk with him soon. So that's exactly what he did.

"Really? If you're so observant, tell me: what am I thinking of eating right now?" he asked, eyes twinkling.

"Um, I dunno. Pork flavored ramen?" she asked absently.

"Right you are!" he declared, obviously lying. "I see a line of ramen shops. Which one is the best, Haruhi? You must've come to this fair so many times, so you should know!" He yanked her by her arm and led her to the front of the line of shops and tried to keep up a running commentary, trying be as funny as he could. He felt a moment of pride when Haruhi giggled at one of his comments. He knew he was winning.

At the present moment, Tamaki was egging her on to finish her ramen as quickly as possible. He had briefly suggested rallying a cheering squad from among the visitors at the fair. The mere thought of Tamaki asking strangers to encourage her to eat her ramen made her hurry up. Once she was done, he slapped down his money on the table and dragged her to the dango stall. His heart was beating wildly and he couldn't seem to calm himself down. What was wrong with him? He had been so normal just before this strange moment at the ramen shop. He needed to do something about it - he was alarming a lot of people with his unnaturally loud voice and spastic actions.

Haruhi hadn't missed this. "Tamaki-senpai!" she called out, actually worried. "Is something wrong? You're awfully animated all of a sudden." She grabbed his arm to hold him down, afraid he'd float away like a balloon.

Tamaki stopped jerking around and looked at her grip on his arm. What was this warm feeling that was spreading along the length of his arm…?

"My daughter!" he yelped, springing up again. "You're sick! Your hand is so warm!" He grabbed her hands in his and held them close to his chest. People around them started to look at the two of them and started giggling and whispering. One child even pointed out to them and asked his mom loudly, "Are they in love, Mama?"

Haruhi blushed. What was going on with the Host Club members all of a sudden? Why were they acting romantic towards her? She was so tired of thinking of Mori, then Kyoya, then Mori and then Kyoya again. Now Tamaki was acting strangely too? She nervously looked up at a blushing Tamaki staring down at her hands in his.

"My dear child, what ails you?" he asked dramatically. "Please do not tell your father that you have come down with a fever. It would pain his heart so!"

"No, senpai," she said, through gritted teeth. Some people were now asking whether it was an impromptu street play. She couldn't take the embarrassment any more. "Something is ailing your head instead." She jerked her hands out of his and stormed away.

Tamaki was left standing there, amidst staring people whom he couldn't see at all. All that he could think was - why was Haruhi upset? What did he do? He didn't mean to hurt her. Why was he always hurting her? Suddenly he heard someone laughing and he turned around to see the person was laughing at him. He didn't feel embarrassed - he was quite used to people laughing at his expense. As long as it made someone laugh, he was OK. But he could understand from Haruhi's point of view, how it didn't seem that way. She wasn't someone who let other people laugh at her. He immediately understood that while he was worrying whether she had fallen sick, she had noticed others staring at her, probably even laughing at her. Intentionally letting people laugh at you was one thing. But getting caught in your tactics, being at the center of attention when they didn't want to, was something someone else being dragged in his little drama, couldn't necessarily digest.

He didn't know how, but his body moved on its own. Some sort of gravity attracting him to her so that he went in the right way, pushing people aside, just to find her. And there he saw her at last, mere metres away from him, her orange T shirt seeming to glow like a candle. And he was the moth, attracted to the candle.

"Haruhi," he said, catching hold of her wrist from behind and pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had embarrassed you. I was acting so strange back there. I just realized it now. Forgive me, Haruhi. I don't know why I was acting like that. I didn't mean to hurt you in any way. I don't want to hurt you ever. I really do want to care for you. I can't put that into words, so maybe that's why I act paternal towards you." In the midst of his monologue, he realized that Haruhi hadn't moved away from him and she hadn't made any attempt to either. She had instead, buried herself into his chest. He suddenly felt like he was holding royalty in his arms, and he gently stroked her hair, pulling her closer to him, making sure she felt the warmth of his embrace. His strange actions, and especially his desire to kiss her made sense to him now, as he held her in his arms. He embraced her tighter still as he realized that his feelings towards her were not just of a protective kind, but those of love as well.

"Haruhi, I need to tell you something," he said quietly in her ear. "I can't believe I've been so oblivious to it all this time. I think I actually -" And he was shocked when she cut him off.

"I can't believe I've been oblivious to it too, senpai," she mumbled into his chest. She looked up at him, eyes filled with worry. "But please don't say it out loud. Not today. Please, let's enjoy this date for now."

Tamaki looked back at her, numb with confusion. He didn't understand head nor tail of her request. But he yearned to make her happy. He had never felt this need with anyone but his mother. He would do anything for the one he sought to make happy. He found himself nodding mutely. If Haruhi wanted nothing to be said of the matter, he wouldn't utter it. He kissed her forehead delicately, then held her hand as he led her through the crowd.

A/N: I think this chapter is a little longer than the other ones. I'm sorry for that! I always tried to maintain the same length, but I guess Kyoya's part's spillover did this.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day at school, Haruhi was a little too quiet that even her clients noticed it. They rightly deduced that she wasn't in a good mood, so they tried to be soft-spoken around her. Kaoru also noticed it and wondered if Tamaki's date with her hadn't gone well. There hadn't been any incidents in class that could've made her feel bad. Unless something had happened at home...no, that wasn't possible. Ranka was the most loving parent anyone could ever get. It was impossible for him to upset Haruhi like this, unless he had gotten her another dress to wear. But Haruhi wouldn't get upset over something as insignificant as that for this long!

He shook his head. He was overthinking again. He glanced at Hikaru, who was supposed to take her out today. He figured he should let his twin know, since that was where the matter lay the most. Hikaru being the insensitive/ignorant idiot that he was, probably didn't even notice it till now. And he probably wouldn't notice it even on his date and it would end up with her running off like she did in Karuizawa. That gave him an idea…

Kaoru put a finger under his twin's chin and said coyly, "Hikaru, come with me to get some more cakes for all of us, won't you?"

Hikaru responded with, "Why can't you get it yourself, Kaoru?"

Kaoru turned his face away sadly. "I just wanted to get some alone time with you, brother dear. But it seems to me that you're not interested in stealing a kiss."

While their clients collapsed under shrieks and nosebleeds, the two crept away, having used similar distractions several times before to signal to one another that there was something urgent to be discussed.

"What is it?" Hikaru asked, a concerned look in his eyes.

"It's Haruhi," the other twin explained. "Have you noticed she's been quiet?"

"Not really," Hikaru said blankly and Kaoru sighed. He had expected just this.

"Well, she has been a little off," he replied. "I'm not even going to ask if you know what this means, because you probably won't. It means that you have to put in some effort for today's date with her to ensure that she doesn't get more upset. Remember Karuizawa? That was a disaster and milord had to tell you what to do. Milord! That dense guy was able to figure out what Haruhi was going through at that point of time. I'm sure even you can think of ways to deal with her, but you need to pay attention to her."

Hikaru just blinked. He hadn't expected all of this to suddenly come tumbling out when his brother pretended to seduce him in front of the girls. He squared his shoulders.

"Kaoru, thanks for the heads up, but you needn't worry about me. I think I can deal with this on my own," he replied icily as he walked off, leaving Kaoru to wonder what he had done wrong.

Hikaru had no clue, NO CLUE, where to take Haruhi for a date. It seemed impossible to figure out what that Tanuki liked, apart from food of course. And he had gotten to know that most of the previous dates had been centered around food. He didn't want to do the same things the others had done, and he knew even Kaoru and Honey would choose food-related dates. They all wanted to let Haruhi feel special, but he felt she should know him as well. Not just the other way round.

He wished he was speaking to Kaoru, but his weird wise-guy attitude ticked him off so much, for some reason. He certainly didn't want to get his advice after the way he said he'd deal with the date himself. But it was the day of the date already and he still hadn't planned anything.

He ambled around the large Hitachiin mansion aimlessly and picked up a magazine his mother had been reading and had left on the the coffee table in their drawing room. He plopped down on a chair and began flipping through it. Suddenly, he came to a page about all the old-school arcades in Tokyo and it hit him. He jumped up, casting the magazine aside and while shouting orders to his driver on the phone, ran to his room to get ready.

Meanwhile, Kaoru, hidden behind the couch, texted to the others, "He's read the article".

"What do you think, Haruhi? I hunted down the best and the oldest arcade Tokyo had to offer," Hikaru proclaimed proudly. Of course he didn't mention the magazine article.

"It's a really cool idea, Hikaru," Haruhi replied. "Although, it's been quite a long time since I played these games. I hope you'll be able to help me out sometimes." She looked up at him and smiled.

Hikaru melted inside. She's so cute! I'm going to make sure she's going to have the best date ever.

Unbeknownst to either of them, the rest of the Host Club members were already at the avenue, channeling their inner Team Rocket with terrible disguises (Kyoya had refused to partake in their activities). They were spread around the arcade, pretending to be playing the games, while actually focusing on the couple who had just entered. Kaoru had decided that his brother was not going to get the date right this time around either, and had wanted the Host Club to help him stop anything disastrous from unfolding. Hikaru was giving her a tour of the different machines, while other patrons looked at them curiously, as Hikaru spun implausible stories about some of the games.

"Did you know that this game was actually invented back in the 1900s?" Hikaru asked and Mori, the history buff, snorted with laughter nearby. Hikaru whipped around to see who was threatening to expose his front. Mori was too quick for the Hitachiin and had already slipped away before he was caught. Thinking that he was imagining things, Hikaru went back to Haruhi.

"Sorry, I thought I heard something. Now where was I?" he asked.

"Um, sorry to interrupt Hikaru, but I thought that we came here to play these games, not have a history class on them," Haruhi replied bluntly. Hikaru turned bright red and this time, he was certain he heard giggling.

"I heard it for sure this time!" he yelled, but only innocent gamers looked back at him. He felt that a couple of faces looked oddly familiar, but before he could put a finger on it, he heard a coin fall into a slot. He turned around and saw Haruhi getting settled on the nearest game machine. She had apparently decided to take things into her own hands. Hikaru felt guilty that the date was going so bad that the girl had decided to entertain herself, so he decided to watch her play. After that round, he told her, he would join her in a multiplayer round and see how she fared against him.

The two had fun. Haruhi forgot all about the three previous dates and the dilemma she was facing. She realized she should've expected this from the rambunctious Hikaru. It was so liberating to be with him because all that she could think about was his jokes, his fun personality and laughter. She was glowing and relaxed and everyone watching her could see it.

The Host Club members in disguise stared open-mouthed as they watched their usually uptight female host let loose. She had transformed into a different person altogether. Mori smiled when he heard her laughter while Honey pretended not to notice. Tamaki and Kaoru were shocked that Hikaru was the one who unlocked her fun side. While Tamaki cried about how beautiful she looked, Kaoru noticed he didn't use the word daughter and he himself felt Haruhi looked more attractive than ever. Hikaru couldn't keep his eyes off her.

Suddenly, he let go of his controller and turned to face Haruhi.

"Hikaru, you're losing! Get back to your controller!" she yelled delightedly as she raced her car to the finish line. Hikaru didn't bother to listen to her and just watched as her face lit up as she won the race.

"You unnecessarily sacrificed yourself," she joked, as she turned around to face him.

With a dopey grin on his face, he simply replied, "It was worth everything in the world to watch your happy face."

Haruhi blushed as she heard this and swung around on her seat to look at the boy. His grin cast a dazed look over her as well. Dopamine, she thought. She was so entranced by the magic of that old arcade, Hikaru's addictive personality and the mischievous smile, that she didn't noticed his hands clasping over hers. Mori and Tamaki reacted simultaneously from behind their stations. Mori's eyes widened before he disciplined himself to stay neutral. Tamaki was twitching and Kaoru had to glare at him to keep him calm.

"Haruhi?"

"Hmmm?"

"I really like you."

Honey's hand gripped down on Mori's arm tightly as the former tried to fight back a gasp. Tamaki and Kaoru made no effort to hide their surprise though, as they stood up quickly. Tamaki's head was spinning. Hikaru liked her too? And considering how she enjoyed his company and she allowed him to speak it out freely, could it be that…?

Kaoru didn't expect Hikaru to blurt it out like that. His knuckles whitened as he clenched his fists. His brother...how could he? They had agreed, hadn't they? And Hikaru had to go and...ugh, he couldn't think about it.

"I want to see if I like you the same way too, Hikaru. But I like you, I know that for sure."

The other Host Club members fell silent.

A/N: Again, apologies for the hiatus. Remember the funk I told you about? It got worse. I'm not going to write about what I went through, because that's a lot of depressing stuff I don't want you guys reading after a fluffy Ouran fanfic :p But it's safe to say that I watched some Naruto (after a LONG time) and I felt a little more positive about my situation. So just like Naruto didn't just sit around waiting for Sasuke, and instead, he went out and tried to get him back, I'm also going to do stuff while I wait for my own Sasuke, haha.

In the meanwhile, I had a dream where I was Haruhi and I was in Ouran (best dream EVER! XD) and I was struck by how caring Kyoya was. Now it may have something to do with the fact that the megane in my life is the opposite of Kyoya and so, I was projecting his characteristics onto Kyoya (or at least, my dream did), but it made me love Kyoya so much more! I never really liked him because he is the way he is. But after seeing that dream, I want Haruhi to end up with him, at least in my fanfic :p Too bad I've already chosen her guy for her :p

Who do you think she'll choose?


End file.
